Where's Phineas?
by 14AmyChan
Summary: Original title is original. When Phineas accedentally turns himself into a dog and has no idea of how to change back, it's up to Isabella to piece together who this strange, yet adorable, dog is. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirz may do something *gasp* evil?
1. How it is

_**14AmyChan: okay~! New fanfic~!**_

_**Phineas: Well, this idea's been around for a long time**_

_**14AmyChan: Sorry, I just hadn't gotten to it yet…**_

_**Phineas: In this story, the gang and myself are thirteen.**_

_**14AmyChan: and Phineas still is oblivious… XD**_

_**Phineas: what?**_

_**14AmyChan: Please enjoy~! Me no own-y~! *^_^***_

"Finished!" Phineas Flynn exclaimed proudly as he double checked his handiwork. This was the first time in a longtime he'd invented without his brother, Ferb, but the green haired boy was currently hanging out with some girl. If Phineas recalled correctly, her name was Vanessa.

In fact, everyone had had plans today that the red headed teen was unaware of. At thirteen years of age, everyone's schedules had filled up fairly quickly. Ferb had been planning this outing with Vanessa for a few weeks now, Isabella had family coming over and had stayed home with them, and Buford and Baljeet had needed to go to a Bully/Nerd camp for a few weeks.

Phineas felt more than a little lonely without his friends and his brother, but that hadn't stopped him from attempting to have the best day ever. Fiddling with the settings on his new device, he attempted to think about the new invention, rather than his friends.

What he had in his hands was the newest form of personality testing. It scanned you for your traits, asked you a few questions, and then—the best part of all—actually turned you into the animal you are most like. And when you were done with being an animal, all you had to do was press a button on the side—or in the remote Phineas had built separately—and you would be transformed back into your human self.

Turning the machine on, Phineas allowed it to scan him. He watched as the blue scanning device passed over his body. Then, a holographic screen came up and showed a question.

**1) What are some of your best qualities? Answer up to five and at least one.**  
**Energetic**  
**Creative**  
**Sneaky**  
**Attentive**  
**Kind**  
**Helpful**  
**Smart**  
**Your face**

Phineas smiled and thought about it for a bit. The questions had been pulled randomly from the internet, and he had no idea what he'd be asked. He reached up and chose "Energetic", "Creative", and "Helpful", because that's what he thought of himself. Ferb had told him on more than one occasion that he had more energy than anyone he'd ever known, his mom had told him he was extremely creative whenever he told her of the inventions he and his brother made, and most of the ideas he came up with were to help others.

**2) Which animal do you like best?**  
**Dog**  
**Cat**  
**Snake**  
**Sheep**  
**Tiger**  
**Wolf**

Though disappointed that the options didn't include "Platypus", Phineas went on to choose his second favorite animal. He loved dogs. He thought they were energetic and fun.

**3) Are you in love?**  
**Yes**  
**No**  
**I don't know**

"Where did _that_ come from?" Phineas couldn't help but ask aloud. Though confused at why the machine had chosen this question, he reached immediately for the "No" option, but hesitated for some reason. It didn't feel right. He pulled back and thought about it for a minute. What _was_ love? He hadn't felt anything like the movies and books portrayed, and that was what love was, right?

Some part in his chest didn't agree with that logical statement. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He wasn't sure what love was. When he looked at his parents—well, _they_ were in love—yet they weren't like what you see in the movies. They were more like best friends, weren't they?

If that were the case, then he could say he were in love, but he still wasn't sure about it. He didn't want to say "yes" if he weren't and "no" if he were. So he answered with the "I don't know" option.

With that, the invention deemed the quiz over and shot a small lazer at Phineas. It didn't hurt, more like it tingled a lot. However, before the machine had finished, it got hit by a lazer from the side, which caused it to explode.

"That doesn't happen every day…" Phineas mused before wiping soot off his face with a normal human hand. He examined himself to see that he hadn't changed in the slightest. "Looks like I'm most like a human… huh…"

A chattering from the side caught Phineas attention and he saw his mindless teal pet platypus waddle into the back yard. His face split into a huge grin.

"Oh, there you are, Perry," Phineas said, finally relieved that he didn't have to spend the rest of the afternoon by himself. He picked up the animal and took him inside the house, just barely missing the inevitable "Curse you Perry the Platypus" in the background.

_**14AmyChan: Okay, a bit long to be a prologue, but that's kinda where a lot of things stand at the beginning of this story. *^_^***_

_**Phineas: *is so confused***_

_**14AmyChan: To un-confuse Phineas, please read and review~! *^_^***_


	2. Uh-oh

_**14AmyChan: Two chapters in a day~! W00t!**_

_**Phineas: She doesn't own me or anything Phineas and Ferb related**_

_**14AmyChan: Please enjoy~! *^_^***_

Over the course of the next few days, Phineas began to feel weird. In a videogame challenge with Ferb, he'd been unable to use his thumbs for about ten seconds. One time, he'd gone to respond to something Isabella had said and found he couldn't see her in color. He'd gotten over the shock relatively quickly, but it still started to freak him out a bit. On more than one occasion, he'd felt like talking to Ferb about it, but quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't want him to feel hurt that he'd invented without his green haired brother.

Yet it was slowly becoming worse. Phineas found he couldn't see much color anymore, and there were times where he'd smell things he normally wouldn't be able to. He often smelled chocolate on Isabella, and he wandered what that was about…

On one particular night, Phineas awoke, feeling horrid. Almost as if he'd been compressed over a short amount of time. He decided that what he probably needed was some water to the face and—half asleep—made his way to the bathroom. He had some difficulty walking on his own two feet, but eventually made it to his intended destination. He pushed open the already ajar door and made his way to the sink. More than once, he had to steady himself on the surrounding objects, usually the wall.

After what seemed like an eternity, the boy made it to the sink. He opened his eyes only to find that the sink was higher than he remembered. He couldn't even see it. Too tired to connect the dots, Phineas simply crouched down and leapt for the sink. He made it, but barely. He scrambled closer to the sink while vaguely wondering why his arm was covered in red hair. Blearily, Phineas fully opened his eyes to look at himself in the mirror.

When a small red Russell Terrier looked back at him with sleepy eyes, Phineas yelped and jumped back in surprise. Regrettably, that did mean falling onto the floor. He didn't really pay attention to the huge crashing sound the action made, but rather to his own thoughts.

_I'm a dog… as cool as that is, why am I a dog?_ Phineas' mind ran about in circles for a few minutes before he realized the thoughts had caused him to chase his own tail. _I have a tail? Cool!_ Phineas mused as he grinned at his small tail. He reached out a tentative paw to touch his tail. When it didn't disappear, he grinned. All traces of tiredness gone, Phineas began to truly enjoy being a dog.

"Ah-choo!"

Until he remembered his mom was allergic to dogs. Slowly, Phineas turned to see his mom—who looked much taller from this angle—in her nightgown and holding a tissue to her face. She stared at Phineas with as much shock as he stared at her. Then he began to try apologizing. _"Sorry mom, I forgot you were allergic to dogs and turned myself into a dog. I've got a—"_

"How did a dog end up in the house?" Linda asked before sneezing again. She wiped her nose with the tissue before throwing it in the wastebasket. Phineas didn't talk for a second. He began to try to explain. _"Mom, it's me, Phin—"_

"Will you please stop barking? You'll wake up the kids…" Linda requested as she scooped Phineas up under her arm and began to walk downstairs. By now, Phineas was sufficiently awake and began to process the information in his head. First off, he was a dog. Secondly, he couldn't talk, only bark. Third, he was going to have to spend the rest of the night in the back yard.

As Linda put him in the backyard and locked the door behind her, Phineas realized just how long the cold night was going to be.

_**Phineas: So, I'm a dog?**_

_**14AmyChan: Yup~! *^_^***_

_**Phineas: And I can't talk?**_

_**14AmyChan: uh-huh~! *^_^***_

_**Phineas:… why do you torture me so?**_

_**14AmyChan: it's for the sake of the story, please R&R~! *^_^***_


	3. Through the night to morning

_**14AmyChan: okay, so now we're back to Phineas~! *^_^***_

_**Phineas: …why is it so cold?**_

_**14AmyChan: It tends to get cold at night.**_

_**Phineas: touché…**_

_**14AmyChan: okay, so I don't own Phineas and Ferb. Please enjoy~! *^_^***_

It had been ten minutes since he'd been left in the backyard, but Phineas could have sworn it was longer. True, he did have some method of protection from the cold—AKA his fur—yet the breeze was just enough to make the already uncomfortable night more dreadful. However, this Flynn would always look to the bright side. Attempting to keep his optimism high, he finally decided to make his way to the platypus door he and Ferb had made for Perry.

Phineas made his way to the back door on all four legs and attempted to push open the small animal door. It was then that he decided to remember that he himself had locked it before going to bed to prevent Perry from wandering around at night.

Quickly weighing his options, Phineas retreated to the tree where he could have some protection from the cold winds. However, his favorite tree did little to protect him from the elements. He began to shiver uncontrollably. He laughed. _I feel like a Chiwawa…_ Phineas made the mental comparison about a minute before he thought of something.

But no… he couldn't. He couldn't just run into her back yard and hope that her dog wasn't there. Then again, he did remember her telling him that her dog likes to spend the nights indoors with her. They just had it in case he changed his mind. Phineas thought about the possibility some more. He had almost abandoned the idea when a strong surge of cold air blasted him from the side.

_Looks like I'm going to Isabella's_… Phineas thought as he quickly darted from his own backyard. He was grateful that Isabella had left so fast she hadn't closed the door properly. Nudging it open with his nose, Phineas found almost no difficulty in making his way across the dark and empty street. He noticed how huge everything seemed from so close to the ground.

In no time, he'd made his way to the Garcia-Shapiro residence and was now facing a true obstacle. The side gate. If Phineas were more awake, his mind would be going about a mile a minute thinking of all the inventions he could create to hop the fence from his size safely. However, right now, the time of night was catching up to him and he just wanted over. He looked to the side of the house to see a water radiator jutting out. It was just enough for Phineas to get a pawhold. Using the radiator, Phineas made two hops and was over the fence before one could say "lickety-split".

Though the landing left much to be desired, Phineas shook it off and looked around Isabella's backyard. He saw the pool where they'd made the humongous gelatin monster, the patio where the Garcia-Shapiros had barbecues sometimes, and—there it was! Right next to the patio was a small dog house, just perfect for a Chiwawa. Or a Russell Terrier, for that matter.

Phineas peeked inside the doghouse carefully. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized Pinky wasn't there. He must have stayed the night in Isabella's room. Finally letting his exhaustion catch up with him, Phineas made his way into the structure. It protected him better than the elements than any tree could have. As he closed his eyes, one thought was crossing his mind.

_How am I going to fix this?_

* * *

"Good morning, Isabella!" the teenage girl said cheerfully into the mirror once she was able to see her own face. She set the brush down and proceeded to make her bed, accidentally waking up her dog in the process. "Oops, sorry Pinky…" Isabella apologized sweetly. However, the dog didn't seem to be fazed much by being woken up. He simply hopped off the bed and waited for his owner to finish.

"This is it, Pinky… This is the day he's finally going to notice me," Isabella sighed dreamily, obviously talking about Phineas. Over the last few years, her crush on the red headed boy had only increased. Some of the Fireside Girls had told her to just give up on him already. But she didn't want to. And even if she did, she wasn't sure if she _could_.

"Isa! Do you want to make some pancakes?" Vivian called up the stairs just as her daughter had finished getting dressed.

"Coming mom!" Isabella answered. She made her way swiftly to the kitchen with a smile on her face. This look did not escape her mother.

"Ah, are you going to Phineas' house today?" the woman laughed lightly, pleased with the fact her daughter had so much fun at their neighbor's house.

"It's Ferb's house, too," Isabella combatted with a playful shove at her mother. Vivian retaliated with some pancake batter on her daughter's arm.

"Oops, sorry _hija_," Vivian laughed. Isabella joined in. It was one of those mother/daughter things. Breakfast passed like that, Vivian teasing Isabella while the latter always kept trying to change the conversation. When the dishes were done and the syrup put away, Vivian called out.

"Oh, Isa, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher and I are going to be playing with Mrs. Johnson at the new book shop. Would you mind vacuuming the pool before you go to Phineas'?" the woman added that last part just for the look on her daughter's face. It was a mix between laughter and exasperation, and it was priceless.

"All right, and mom?" Isabella opened the door and let Pinky exit before her. Vivian glanced her daughter's way as she grabbed her purse. "It's Ferb's house, too," she said before quickly closing the door behind her. Vivian laughed as she gathered her purse and headed out the door.

_**14AmyChan: Okay, so that's enough for now…**_

_**Isabella: Hello~! What'cha doin?**_

_**14AmyChan: Hopefully, they're reading and reviewing~! *^_^***_

_**Phineas: *bark***_


	4. Meet Firecracker

_**14AmyChan: Okay, so here's the new chapter~! *^_^***_

_**Isabella: by the way, what time did you have me wake up?**_

_**14AmyChan: well, not that early… it's about… six thirty now, so…**_

_**Isabella: who in their right mind wakes up that early?!**_

_**14AmyChan: *raises hand***_

_**Isabella: oh. This is awkward… um… 14AmyChan doesn't own anything!**_

_**14AmyChan: enjoy~! *^_^***_

Isabella walked to the water pump to start vacuuming the pool when she heard Pinky barking. It wasn't the normal kind either; it was more of when he was barking at an intruder or when he seemed confused. She turned to see that her dog was barking at his own doghouse. _That's strange…_ Isabella thought as she went over to inspect the doghouse. There shouldn't be anything—

_I stand corrected…_ the thought may have entered Isabella's mind, but she was feeling more than just a twinge of shock at discovering a red Russell Terrier in Pinky's doghouse. It was sleeping through all the barking, but she couldn't imagine that was comfortable for the dog. She gently moved Pinky to the side so she could get a closer look at the new canine. She reached inside and felt around the scruff of the neck for a collar. Nothing.

The dog, however, did wake up to her touch. Isabella quickly took her hand out of the doghouse and stared at the dog for a moment. It seemed to be adjusting to its settings, almost confused. Then, it smiled. And it wasn't a mindless smile, like she'd seen Pinky pull sometimes, but rather a sheepish "sorry-I-slept-in-your-dog's-bed" kind of smile. The red dog looked at the mat it had slept on and used its paws to smooth it out. Then hurried out of the doghouse and sat right next to Isabella's foot. From here, she could tell the dog was a boy.

She stood there for a split-second, unsure what to do. There was a random dog in her backyard, he had slept in Pinky's doghouse, yet he seemed extremely well behaved. She noted how red the dog was. Though his fur was her favorite shade of red, it might be a problem when checking for injuries. However, the dog's blue eyes showed now sign of hurt, only patience and excitement. Almost like…

Before she could drift off into Phineas-land again, Isabella reached down and petted the dog on the head. She smiled at the face the dog gave her. Almost like a "so-not-amused" face. Isabella giggled. The dog barked in—what she thought—was a happily way.

"Do you have a family, little guy?" Isabella asked as she knelt down to rub her hand on the dog's back. He seemed to tense up, which worried her. Had something bad happened to this dog? Maybe irresponsible owners? While those thoughts ran through her head, the dog barked once. Isabella had no idea what that meant, if anything at all.

"How about a name?" Isabella tried again. Now the dog was relaxing under her touch. She wondered if maybe the dog was just on guard around new people? However, the dog put his head on her knee and shut his eyes. If it were a person, she would have taken this as an "are-you-serious". But the dog was a dog, and not a person, so she had no idea what it meant.

"Why don't I just call you Firecracker?" Isabella asked. She gave the dog's back one final rub, patted him, then moved to get up. "I mean, your fur is so red, it reminds me of two things, but let's just go with the firecrackers, huh?" Isabella turned around to see the dog just sigh and follow her. She could almost see gears turning in his head… but… no.

"I have a couple of friends who might be able to help me figure out who you are and where you came from, Firecracker," Isabella said as she walked to the water pump. She flipped it on and began to walk back to the pool. "I have to vacuum the pool first, so when that's done, we can head over, all right?"

Firecracker nodded and scampered over to the pool. He ran around it until Isabella got there, then stepped back and allowed her to vacuum without difficulty. As Isabella watched the strange dog, she wondered why it bore such a humane resemblance. Especially to a specific human…

_No way…_ Isabella chided herself for pretending that her crush had become a dog. _Phineas should be at home, waiting for seven o'clock to roll around to start his big idea…_

_**14AmyChan: okay, so the name "Firecracker", I didn't make that up on my own. I'm reading a PnF fanfiction called "Firecracker", so I thought I might as well tell people about it. I really like it**_

_**Isabella: Okay, so Phineas is a dog, and I don't know about it, and I'm talking to a random dog…**_

_**14AmyChan: Pretty much~! *^_^***_

_**Isabella: … that sounds lovely…**_

_**14AmyChan: Doesn't it just? *^_^* lol~! Please read and review!**_

_**Firecracker: *bark***_


	5. Agents

_**14AmyChan: okay, is this two uploads in a day?**_

_**Isabella: I think so…**_

_**14AmyChan: YAY~! *^_^***_

_**Perry: grrrrgrrrr**_

_**14AmyChan: Well said, Perry. I don't own Phineas and Ferb. Please enjoy~! *^_^***_

_**Perry: grrrrrr**_

A huge screen cast a bleary light on a certain teal animal. Having his fedora donned, Agent P stared intently at the monitor before him. It wasn't showing much, just two teenage boys asleep in their beds, as they should be. Or at least, should have been. When Perry had gone back to Phineas' bed to sleep at three in the morning, it alarmed him when the teenage boy wasn't there. He'd done a thorough sweep of the house in search of the boy before coming down here and seeing what could have possibly happened to his owner.

As engrossed as he was with the screen, he didn't notice the shivering Chihuahua enter into his lair. Well, as a top field agent, he noticed, he just didn't show it.

"I am so tired!" Pinky exclaimed as he walked into his friend's lair. Perry and Pinky had been agents side by side for the past nine years or so. It wasn't as long as their owners had known each other, but it was long enough to be good friends. You know the type, eat your food, walk into your house, mess around with you…

"Then go back to bed, we've got a few hours before work starts," Perry replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. The platypus wasn't quite in the mood for entertaining Pinky at the moment. He had to know what happened to Phineas.

"Spy tapes? Really?" Pinky asked, only noticing that the monitor was on, not what was on the monitor. He walked two-legged over to Perry and leaned against the console. "You're a workaholic, do you know that? And you get down my back about sleep…"

"Phineas is missing," Perry said bluntly, still not having torn his eyes away from the screen. Pinky, incredulous, finally turned to the screen to see Perry's two sleeping owners asleep in their respective beds.

"You bugged your owner's room?!" Pinky nearly shouted, then clamped his paws over his shivering mouth to prevent anyone who wasn't supposed to hear that from hearing it. Namely Major Monogram, Perry's superior. There was nothing wrong with the man; in fact he was an extremely caring person. It's just that… "You know you could be fired for that… If they find the cameras…"

"I've had those cameras in place for three years; nothing's going to happen…" Perry said as he continued to watch the footage. Pinky placed a defiant paw over the pause button and pressed it. Perry turned to his working companion. "I'm in the middle of something here!" he growled.

"Perry, I know you're worried about your owners, I worry about Isabella every day, but do you think I want you to be relocated for this?" Pinky asked, keeping Perry in his seat with a mere gaze. "Your owners aren't the only ones who want you around, you know. Do you know how many agents have a neighbor to talk to like you and I do? Not many, Perry, not many. Don't you think it's kind of nice to talk to a fellow agent when your nemesis gets too loony to handle?" Pinky asked, bringing to mind the recent conversation they had about one of Doofenschmirtz's latest –inators, the Slow-Effect-inator. If memory served Pinky well, the invention was supposed to slow down the effects of any machine it hit. It was going to be fired at the voting poll, slowing down voting and somehow making Doofenschmirtz leader of the tri-state-area.

"You do realize that there are fifteen cameras trained on you at this very second, right?" Perry asked, raising an eyebrow. Pinky looked around. One…two…three…four…five…

"No, your lair has five cameras, just like every other lair," Pinky said, pointing out the five said cameras. The O.W.C.A. didn't have enough money for more than that. Budget cuts and the like…

"When the boys were eleven, they made microscopic cameras so they could see the inside of an atom," Perry explained, a smirk of pride finding its way to his face. There was nothing those two could not do.

"But that's impossible!" Pinky grinned. If it were from Perry or from Isabella, word of the two boys' adventures always reached him. And to be perfectly honest, he enjoyed Perry's versions better. Without the frequent trips to daydreaming land.

"There's one on my forehead right now." Perry smirked as he watched Pinky attempt to locate the camera. The dog was staring right down the center of the platypus' forehead, but it was really off to the right a little bit. After a few moments, Pinky obviously gave up, filling Perry with more pride. "Nothing's impossible for those two," Perry said.

"I can see why Isabella's so smitten with him," Pinky chuckled, referring to Phineas. Perry turned back to the screen and hit the 'Play' button.

"I wonder when he'll figure that out," Perry laughed. As genius as his owners were, _one_ of them seemed to specifically ignore anything romantically related. He mused for a second as to what the two would do once everything was figured out. He and Pinky had a bet. Perry had five dollars on Isabella kissing him again. Pinky had ten on Phineas floundering about like a fish.

"Hopefully soon, I don't think Isabella can take much more of this…" Pinky's new rant about his owner was left unheard and even unspoken as something was happening on the screen.

"What's happening to Phineas?" Pinky asked, taking a newfound interest in the screen. Perry wondered the exact same thing as Phineas began to jerk violently on his bed.

The red headed teen flopped from one side to the other, obviously uncomfortable. Silent and subtle _popping_ could be heard through the audio system. Not only that, as the boy moved, he was… shrinking? It was obviously a slower and more painful process than intended, yet the transformation happened quickly. Shots of red hair grew all over the teen's body as he dwindled in size. His ankles and wrists jerked up slightly as his shoulders seemed to move more to the side of him. In the matter of a few minutes, Perry and Pinky witnessed a thirteen year old boy turn into a red Russell Terrier.

"What the—"

"I know that dog!" Pinky exclaimed, effectively cutting off Perry. Yet as of now, he didn't mind. He was only interested in what Pinky had just said.

"What do you mean?" Perry asked, instantly on alert.

"I went to take a nap in my doghouse before work when that dog was in there," Pinky explained. Perry no longer wondered why Pinky was tired as he continued to talk. "Last I saw, he was with Isabella."

"Then he should end up back at the house in no time…" Perry sighed of relief, finally relaxing in his chair. He knew that Isabella wouldn't abandon a lost dog, and if Phineas had kept his head, he'd be trying to get her to go to his house anyway. He probably had a backup plan of some sorts. But sometimes things don't go according to plan…

"I'm going to go find him and make sure they get to the house okay…" Perry said, getting out of his chair and making his way to the exit. Pinky followed.

"Yeah, might as well go home and get some more sleep," the dog agreed as he followed his platypus friend out of the lair.

_**14AmyChan: well, now that that's done. *^_^***_

_**Perry: so, why can everyone understand me?**_

_**Pinky: and me?**_

_**14AmyChan: because I want them to.**_

_**Perry: just like that?**_

_**14AmyChan: just like that. *^_^***_

_**Perry: huh…**_

_**Pinky: Please read and review!**_


	6. What to do

_**14AmyChan: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's…**_

_**Phineas: *bark!***_

_**14AmyChan: yup! It's another update~! *^_^***_

_**Isabella: are you okay…?**_

_**14AmyChan: yup~! *^_^* I don't own PnF~! *^_^***_

He didn't know how he ended up on some suburban street, he just did. As Heinz Doofenshmirtz continued his run, he couldn't help but think about a new evil scheme. He'd had most of yesterday to come up with one and he still had nothing. He was out of time, out of ideas, and out of breath. As he slowed to a stop, he couldn't help but cough and splutter. He just remembered why he didn't go running anymore. Not like he'd ever gone running seriously.

Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable sound of a side gate closing. He subconsciously twitched in fear. Back in Gimmleshtump, whenever a side gate closed, that meant that it was time for Poke the Guzim With a Stick. Attempting to ward off the hurt he felt as he reminisced having his father abandon him for Onlyson—which had been won in said game—the evil scientist looked up to see a young girl closing the side gate with a little red dog at her heels. Forgetting about his fatigue for a few moments, he happily bounded up to the pair.

"Little girl, can I pet the dog?" Doof asks as he gets close enough. Even he could detect the annoyance in her eyes, but she sighs and nods her head.

"He's not mine, but sure," the girl responded, sending the gears in his head whirring. This wasn't her dog and—as Doof noticed when he began to pet the dog—had no collar. However, the dog quickly backed away from the man as soon as he began to pet him. Doof paid this no mind.

"Thanks for finding him for me, then," Doof tried to make up a story on the spot. Even backstories had to be practiced, and those were the truth. The only think keeping him talking was the fact that lying was evil, and he was evil, so he could lie his way through this. Right? "I lost him a while ago and I need to take him back home."

The dog in question abruptly ran behind the girl's legs and began to bark. Yet it didn't look like the girl was paying attention. She looked from the dog to him and back to the dog. She then scooped him up in her arms and held him carefully. The dog was silent for a moment as it looked up at her.

"Do you mind if I come along? I really like this dog and I want to make sure he's in a good home," the girl inquired. Doof could have jumped with delight upon hearing that. It meant the dog was as good as his. Even if it did start barking again once she'd said it.

"Sure!" he exclaimed happily, leading the girl and the barking dog along.

* * *

Isabella wasn't sure what she was getting into, but she believed this man was telling the truth. Firecracker had been so tense when she first began to pet him, and seemed to be cautious with all people. If this quirky man was his irresponsible owner, then that could explain why the dog was so cautious. He would have been trained to believe no one would take care of him.

That, and the dog obviously had a bad impression of the man. Since the dog hadn't barked at her, a stranger, and was going ballistic around this man, it must mean that they had a bad connection. Once she saw the inside of the house, maybe a food dish, she would be able to say the dog was his and report him for animal neglect. Absentmindedly, she stroked Firecracker's head, hoping to calm him down. He moved his head a lot under her hand, and when she looked at him, he seemed to be trying to tell her something. But what?

* * *

"_Isabella, are you crazy?"_ Phineas cried out, but it only came out as nonsensical barking. He didn't care. He had to get Isabella to go to his house instead of some loon who'd lied to her. Of _course_ he didn't belong to that man. He belonged at home, as a human! Not here, cradled against Isabella's chest. If there were no fur covering his face, everyone in the world would have been able to see the mega blush that accompanied that last thought.

Soon, he re-realized that Isabella couldn't understand him and he had to think of a way to get her to turn around and go back to his house. However, he couldn't come up with an idea fast enough. As the weird procession entered a building, many thoughts flew through Phineas' head. Yet the most prominent was _Why does this building look like Ferb's head…?_

* * *

Pinky returned to Perry, who was waiting on the side of the house. Perry refrained from pacing back and forth on his two legs in case someone saw him. When Pinky was in sight, he saw the Chihuahua shake his head. Well, more than a Chihuahua would shake, anyways. That meant the two weren't in the Garcia-Shapiro backyard or residence. Nodding his head gratefully, Perry left the backyard to go to his owner's house just across the street.

_That must mean that they're already in the backyard…_ Perry thought as he quickly went across the street. It was hard to be quick and mindless at the same time, as Perry realized for the umpteenth time. Yet, before he knew it, he was in the backyard. What he expected what a loud and excited voice chattering away how fun it was to be a dog. Perhaps a girl blushing in embarrassment from what she'd told said unsuspecting dog. Or maybe…

…Ferb sitting by himself under the tree? That defiantly wasn't right. Determined to figure out what had gone wrong, the seemingly mindless platypus waddled up to his owner and made his trademark chattering noise. Ferb turned his attention to him, and Perry almost panicked. The boy obviously had signs of worry on his face. And even worse, the boy spoke.

"Hullo, Perry," Ferb said as he gathered the platypus onto his lap. Perry didn't struggle or even attempt to walk off. He simply sat and waited while the teen began to pet him. "I don't suppose you've seen Phineas around?"

Perry chattered in response. He knew how close the brothers were. If one were to spend the day without the other, they usually knew or at the very least left a note for the other to read lest they worry. Ferb continued to stroke Perry's back, but it was in such a way that the semi-aquatic mammal was sure that the teenage boy was thinking of some way to communicate with his brother. The cell phone had obviously been left in their room.

"Perry, I know what I'm going to do today!" Ferb suddenly said with a smile on his face. Perry made his usual chattering noise before hopping off of Ferb's lap. He followed the green-haired teen into the garage, where he started sifting through old blueprints, each one drawn up and signed by his brother.

As his wrist communicator beeped, Perry hoped that Ferb could get Phineas and bring him back. He was beginning to worry about the status of his missing owner. The secret agent quickly backed up out of the garage, made his way to the tree, and slid down it with ease. He vaguely wondered why this secret entrance hadn't been removed as had been promised earlier.

The thought vacated his mind when he saw Pinky in his lair shoving a furiously scribbled note in front of the screen which bore Monogram's face.

_This can't be good…_

_**14AmyChan: that was a long chapter….**_

_**Perry: *glares***_

_**Ferb: *glares***_

_**14AmyChan: what?**_

_**Doof: I'M GETTING A DOG~!**_

_**14AmyChan: to get Doof a dog that ISN'T Phineas, please read and review~! *^_^***_


	7. Boot and Pudding

_**14AmyChan: okay, so I was always going to be a bit cliché with this story. Sorry. ^^;**_

_**Perry: I think the readers are getting tired of the cliff hanger you left them**_

_**14AmyChan: right! My bad. ^^; I don't own PnF~!**_

Perry made his way through his lair swiftly and with ease, however, the tension in the room made it feel as though it were an eternity. Before he could even arrive at his briefing chair, Pinky began to resume his writing and showed the note to Monogram, who sighed with an air of aggravation.

"Agent Pinky, you are to work with your nemesis in Wanda's division," Major Monogram's unibrow furrowed in frustration. Pinky scribbled furiously on the paper, but before he could finish or even show the head of O.W.C.A. what he'd said, he was cut off with an air of "Please go back to your own division now. Don't make me use the boot."

With that threat hanging in the air, Pinky's paw ceased all movement—save for the natural shiver—and stared intently at the man. Sensing his seriousness, the dog placed his pencil on the desk and stalked past Perry on his way to his job. As he passed by Perry, he could feel a slip of paper being shoved into his paw. The platypus turned to watch as his friend left his lair. He faintly heard his superiors in the background.

"I'm glad that worked," Monogram sighed. He then quickly snapped to his unpaid intern. "Carl, get this mangy old boot out of here! It stinks like grandpa's old fishing line!"

"Yes sir..." the intern said as he used tongs to place a 1940s boot in a plastic bag. He then wrapped that in cellophane, shut that in a box, and concealed that box in a smell-proof box. Once that was done, he removed the smell-proof helmet from his biohazard suit and sighed.

"Agent P, it has come to our attention that Doofenshmirtz hasn't...well, done anything," Monogram revealed anticlimactically. Perry rubbed his chin in thought. That meant his nemesis hadn't bought anything or made anything lately. This, in turn, meant that he would make things up as they went along, making the day that much longer and leaving him less time to look for Phineas. Just what he needed. "Agent P, it's up to you to figure out why he's not doing anything, put a start to something, and put a stop to it!" Monogram commanded. Perry saluted as he was supposed to and hurried off to his platy-plane, eager to get the day begun so it could end.

"So why was Agent Pinky in Agent P's lair, sir?" Carl asked as he removed his gloves, the last piece of his hazard suit.

"He was complaining about the pudding stocks in our Agents' refrigerators..." Monogram huffed before mumbling about budget cuts.

* * *

Perry turned the platy-plane on autopilot so he could read the paper Pinky had given him. It had been written horribly, and the teal mammal could tell that his friend had been in a hurry in the midst of writing it. But what made him fearful were the contents of the said note.

_Perry,_

_If Major Monogram or Admiral Wanda find me writing this, I'm a dead dog. While you were with Ferb, I made my way to my lair and ran  
through a bit of the footage of while we were gone. Isabella __did__ go to your guys' house with dog Phineas in tow. But here's what worries me.  
She wasn't even to the street when __Doofenshmirtz—that's right, your nemesis—comes up and talks to her. Normally this wouldn't be a problem,  
but she decides to __follow__ him. I can't believe she did something so stupid!_

_The point is this, you're going to have to go to Doofenshmirtz's place and fight, and Isabella will be there along with your owner. I got rid of the  
footage for both of us so we could probably have one chance at this._

_We can either tell our owners without the higher ups knowing anything, or we can keep keeping the secret. After the Robot Riot, I thought you  
might as well have the chance to decide. If you feel like you want to tell Phineas about yourself and have him and Ferb keep the secret,  
then this may be your only shot._

_Good luck, and stock up on the pudding in your fridge!_

Perry was left speechless for a few moments. Could this really be the moment he was waiting for? True, since the adventure in the second dimension he'd missed being with the boys as something other than a mindless animal, but if he chose to reveal the secret now, he'd have to go through Phineas' pain all over again, and he certainly didn't want to put the boy through _that_. Not if he could help it.

"_Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated..."_ a musical chime rang through the air, cutting through Perry's thoughts. As he circled around the building, parking his platy-plane, Perry debated on what he was going to do.

_**14AmyChan: not too terribly long, but it does show what's happening on Perry's end. *^_^* And the next chapter we'll be getting back to Isabella, Doof, and Phinny. *^_^*  
**_

_**Perry: Are you going to be able to update quickly?**_

_**14AmyChan: I'm not sure, but I'm definitely going to try! *^_^***_

_**Pinky: Please read and review to give me pudding!**_

_**14AmyChan and Perry: -.-**_


	8. A New Evil Scheme

_**14AmyChan: okay, it's been awhile, but the new chapter is up~! *^_^***_

_**Phineas: not a lot happens in here…**_

_**14AmyChan: yes it does… we get Doof's evil scheme, which may be a twinge evil after all~! *^_^***_

_**Isabella: 14AmyChan doesn't own Phineas and Ferb, thank goodness…**_

_**14AmyChan: hey! .**_

"…and this is the room where I make all my –inators!" Doof exclaimed as he led the girl into his expansive building room. Though normally he would go into extensive detail about each and every machine and why it was created, the evil scientist had other things on his mind. Mainly, the dog that he was hoping to get. The girl hadn't let it down once, and he began to worry that he wouldn't be able to have it. Just another fun aspect of life denied to him by the cruel yet invincible mysterious force.

"What do they do?" Isabella asked as professionally as she could. She refused to relinquish Firecracker in this house for quite a few reasons. For one, she hadn't seen any proof that a dog had been living here at any point in time, and she was beginning to feel like a fool for coming along in the first place. Another reason was that the house looked completely unsafe for him. The kitchen was a few hairs short of a hazardous area, the entryway was hardly any better, and there was honestly no room for a dog. To put it plainly, Isabella was seriously starting to get frustrated with both herself and this man who had tried to put one over on her.

"Oh, they're just part of my evil schemes," Doof said nonchalantly, eager to get on with the rest of the tour and find a way to keep that dog. However, as he continued, the girl stopped cold in her tracks. It took Heinz a good minute and a half to realize he wasn't being followed anymore. He turned around at the girl, who now held the dog closer to herself than ever before. She stared at him. He simply stared back. Then the dog barked, its face turned up to the girl as if it were trying to tell her something. _But dogs can't be that intelligent… _the evil doctor reassured himself, chuckling nervously. C_ould they?_

"_Isabella! Let's get out of here!"_ Phineas tried to plead, yet was left misunderstood when the girl simply held him closer. He was going to try again when he noticed she was slowly moving her way to the door. He sighed a breath of relief. They were getting out of here. He listened as Isabella began to distract the man.

"You do evil schemes?" Isabella asked sarcastically. It was now obvious to her that this man was a nut job, she was stupid for coming here in the first place, and the best thing to do would be to get herself and Firecracker out of there. She subtly made her way to the door, and –thankfully—her progress was unnoticed by the man, who'd seemed to be distracted by some new thought.

"Actually, yes," Doof smiled, eyes closed as he relished the thought of someone actually considering him evil. He began to talk of his schemes and sing about— "…my neme-neme, ooh, my neme-neme-nemesis!" he began to hum happily until he realized something. He hadn't prepared an evil scheme for today. As the realization dawned on him, his eyes darted around his penthouse deluxe in the sky, desperate for a last minute idea. Suddenly, he spotted something by the door.

"Little girl!" the man cried out in such desperation that Isabella froze. Her eyes narrowed as she resumed making her way to the door. She didn't respond, but then she didn't need to, the man just kept talking. It was really starting to irritate her. The only person she could listen to for this long was Phineas. "Would you please help me with my evil scheme today? My nemesis is going to be here any minute and I don't have anything ready!"

"Sorry, Fireside code says Fireside girls don't help in evil schemes," Isabella said firmly, hoping to make her point. Ever since Ferb TV, most everyone in the Tri-State Area knew the Fireside girls were experienced in any kind of martial arts. She hoped that this strange man knew at least _that_.

"You're a Fireside girl?" Doof asked eagerly. Upon a moment of quick thinking, he activated the cage that was near the door. It _was_ going to be for Perry the Platypus, but if he had a _Fireside girl_ on his side, it would be well worth the lost trap. "Ha! Gotcha! Now all you need to do is help me with my evil scheme!" Doof swelled with pride, beaming with pride at his own quick wit. One look at the girl, however, and he felt the need to apologize. "Sorry, little girl. That cage is platypus sized… I would have gotten a bigger size if I knew I was going to be using it on something bigger…"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Isabella exclaimed, thoroughly mad now. Not only had she been tricked into coming to a stranger's house, but it was a madman who thought a platypus was coming after him! Platypuses don't do much, you know! "I thought I made it clear that I'm not helping!"

"Fine, then…" Doofenshmirtz puffed out, out of ideas for the moment until he realized something. If he could somehow get the girl to be quiet, he could bluff his way through today's evil scheme, giving him enough time to plan properly for tomorrow's scheme! The question was how… On that thought, he began to work on something that would keep the girl quiet for a while…

_**14AmyChan: okay, next chapter should be easier to write…**_

_**Phineas: He isn't gonna hurt Isabella, is he?**_

_**14AmyChan: I dunno… *shrug***_

_**Phienas: O.O**_


	9. Heart to Dog

_**14AmyChan: really short chapter, dead ahead! *^_^***_

_**Phineas and Isabella: *trapped in cage***_

_**Doof: read on, readers! As I am going to take over the TRI-STATE-AREA! :D**_

Phineas kept looking for options. Some way to get both himself and Isabella out of this predicament. They'd been in the cage for only a few minutes, but to him it stretched into an eternity. His blue eyes looked through the bars of the cage, but there was nothing he could see or even reach to get them both out of there. Cautiously, he looked up at Isabella, who was still holding him.

Isabella held a determined look on her face. Instead of inspecting what lay beyond the cage, she sat there, inspecting the cage itself. It had come up too fast for her to catch how it had shut, but there had been no welding, and she'd already acquired her escapement patches from the fireside girls. Her eyes carefully scanned the top of the cage, and she found that there was nothing to clasp or hinge or anything up there. Then she looked at the bottom of the cage, to the platform she'd been squished on top of. At first glance, nothing, but the girl did not quit.

Phineas watched silently as Isabella did her best to work through how to open the cage. He'd been so focused on building something to get them out that he'd forgotten that A) he didn't have any thumbs to build with and B) there was most likely a weak spot in the cage. Sometimes he wondered where his common sense went when it came to Isabella. Whenever she was around, he felt he had to build something amazing and impressive. He hurriedly helped her look from his spot in her arms.

As the seconds stretched to minutes, the pair could not find any weak spot in the floor of the cage. Isabella looked at the small dog she'd found this morning. She'd realized he was helping her look, but soon noted the sad look in his eyes. She sighed wistfully.

"I wish Phineas were here…" she murmured, shutting her eyes for a moment. She sat there and thought about her best friend crush. She smiled and managed a small chuckle. "He'd probably be trying to build something to get us out of here… Firecracker?"

Phineas listened as his best friend talked, surprised that she knew exactly what he would (and did) do in this situation. But since there was nothing that they could reach, he wondered why she would want him here. _If only I could tell her…_ he thought as he turned to look into the eyes of his best friend. He placed a red paw on top of her hand. _If only…_

"Though you probably don't know Phineas, do you, Firecracker?" Isabella asked as she attempted to make herself comfortable. She hadn't brought her fireside equipment and she couldn't find any way out of this cage. The crazy guy was going through what he called his 'inators' and wasn't really paying attention to the two of them. "Well, when you meet him, you'll like him. Not as much as me, though," she managed to chuckle dryly.

At that last sentence, Phineas' doglike ears perked. What she probably meant was that she was his best friend… But if that were the case, why was his heart pounding a million miles a minute? Curiously, he nudged her hand for her to continue. Isabella smiled when she did so.

"He's got the nicest smile and his imagination practically goes a million miles an hour. Ideas pop out of him left and right, but the funny thing is that almost all of them involve helping someone other than himself," Isabella told the dog, unsure of why she was doing so. Maybe it was because she needed to talk, and Phineas was the easiest to talk about. Even though he wasn't there, his infectious optimistic attitude had placed a smile on her face, and it was something she needed right now. So she kept talking.

"Even though he doesn't really take the time to do something for himself sometimes, I almost never see him frown," Isabella observed randomly. By now, she felt comfortable talking to this dog she'd picked up in her backyard. And she was already talking about Phineas, so…

"I wonder if he'll ever realize just how much I like him…" Isabella said, catching Phineas' attention. He instantly became confused. They were best friends, there was nothing better than that… right? He still didn't understand why he could hear his heart pounding. Isabella held him closer, and Phineas began to wonder if this was okay. A guy turned into a dog, a girl, trapped in a cage. Anything could happen, right?

"Probably not, he's so innocent…" Isabella mused. Tears welled up in her eyes. Though Phineas' innocence was one of the many reasons she'd come to love him, many a time it was responsible for breaking her heart. She relinquished her hold on Firecracker to wipe away the tears. The dog whimpered slightly, so Isabella adjusted herself so she could rub his head. She smiled as best she could.

"But that's not a bad thing… I'm sure he'll come around eventually…" Isabella attempted to bring her mood back up, but it was insanely hard to do. Her smile—which had been so hard to work up—broke, and she shed a few more tears before taking a deep breath and deciding there were more productive things to do than to talk about Phineas. She did, however, have one more thing to say.

"Well, if we don't get out of here, then I'm never going to get the chance to tell him I love him…" Isabella said, catching Phineas off-guard. As she began her search anew for methods of escape, the boy-turned-dog couldn't wrap his mind around anything.

Not even the platypus that had just landed on the balcony.

_**14AmyChan: okay, so here's a new chappie~! *^_^***_

_**Isabella: really?**_

_**Phineas: *shocked***_

_**Isabella: O/O**_

_**Doof: Are you sure I'm the evil one?**_

_**14AmyChan: I dunno…. Please R&R~! *^_^***_


	10. Escape

_**14AmyChan: okay, so here's a new update for all of you guys~! *^_^***_

_**Isabella: Please tell me we get out of there...**_

_**14AmyChan: You'll just have to read to find out~! *^_^***_

_**Perry: *chatter noise which translates into "I'm so glad 14AmyChan doesn't own us..."***_

Perry made a quick scan of the familiar balcony, his trained eyes searching for a hint of red hair, a flash of pink material, or perhaps even a trace of activity marking the presence of the two teenagers which he sought. When vision didn't yield any marker of their being there, he immediately zeroed in on Doofenshmitrz, who faced his previous -inators with such focus that he didn't even notice the arrival of his nemesis.

_"Hello?"_ Perry chattered sarcastically, knowing full well that the good doctor wouldn't understand him. While the chatter did not distract the doctor from his deeds, he did receive a response.

"Perry?" a familiar voice called out. Out of pure habit, the mammal quickly hid his fedora and dropped to all fours, spreading his eyes far apart as he did so. Under this guise of mindlessness, the platypus ambled into the room filled with inators, determined to find the voice's owner.

As swiftly and as silently as he could, the agent made a more in-depth analysis of the area. One and only one of the traps had been activated. It was a simple cage, and Perry was sure it had been one of those cages Doofenshmitrz had saved from previous encounters. That would explain why he hadn't had any activity show up on the radar. And if Isabella had followed him of her own free will, it wouldn't be considered kidnapping until Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro reported her missing. That would mean Doof would be off the legal hook for the day.

Yet if Perry had his way for today that would be the only hook he'd be left off today...

Before he knew it, the secret agent found himself in front of the cage, looking directly into the eyes of Isabella Garcia-Shapiro. Well, as directly as he could while being mindless. She appeared confused, but unharmed. Perry breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly in-synch with Isabella.

"Thank goodness..." Isabella smiled. Even though Perry was just a platypus who didn't do much, perhaps he could do _something_. The animal seemed stunned. Probably wondering what on earth one of his owner's friends was doing in a small cage. Right now, she desperately hoped Perry was as smart as Phineas kept saying he was. _Phineas..._

_Oh, dear..._ Perry thought as he watched Isabella space out slightly. She must have started to think about Phineas. Speaking of the red-haired teenager...

_"Isabella?"_ a voice barked softly from within the cage. It was a voice Perry knew quite well. His eyes instinctively scanned for a teenage boy crammed into the cage along with the aforementioned girl before resting on a small red Russell Terrier. However, it wasn't as alert as his owner would have been in this situation. In fact, with his eyes trained on Isabella, it looked as though he'd gotten a shock. A rather large one. Perry-thinking he knew what may have happened-smirked slightly and allowed his eyes to focus.

"Perry?" Isabella asked, effectively breaking both of their trances. The dog's head turned and-upon seeing Perry-his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Before the agent could attempt to tell them to be calm, the doctor turned around. All three held their breath.

"All right, when Perry the Platypus shows up, all I'll have to do is hit you with the silence-inator..." Doof mumbled under his breath, not quite taking notice of the teal mammal already in the room and pointing in general areas of the room. As the man began to practice how it would all go down, Perry risked a glance at the two confused teens in the cage. A plan began to formulate in his head.

Without a chatter of any sort to alert anyone of his sudden movement, the teal monotreme sped over to a certain machine amidst the pile. In the span of a few seconds, the intelligent animal found what he was looking for. He climbed aboard it excitedly and hit the fire button. A blinding flash of light engulfed the room, halting everyone in their tracks for more than a few moments.

"Go home," an unexpected and hesitant British voice announced, forcing Perry's eyes to adjust more quickly than usual. As soon as they did, however, he saw a flash of green, pink, and red before there was nothing in the cage and the surrounding area. Heck, even the cage was gone. Both mammals looked at the empty space. The only difference being one of them actually had a clue as to what was going on. The other one only knew that his evil scheme had come and gone for the day.

"What just happened?" Heinz asked aloud, assuming he was just talking to himself again. He did not expect a familiar chatter in response from beside him. He looked down just in time to receive a good knuckle sandwich. Surprised, the man tumbled backwards and fell over. He quickly got back to his feet, rubbing his injured face.

"Perry the Platypus, wha-?" Doof didn't get a chance to finish before a beaver tail slapped him in the face, effectively knocking him down yet again. This time, he stayed down for a couple of seconds before saying something completely unexpected.

"Perry the Platypus, you peed on my couch!" he announced. No, really. It was unexpected. However, with the realization that Doof knew-not only that he'd peed on the couch-but about his owners as well, Perry leapt into action to activate the machine once more. Once the imminent white flash of light subsided, Doof found himself alone and unaware of the events of the day.

"What happened to me, and why does my head hurt?" Doof asked of no one, finally alone in his apartment.

"I brought the muffins, dad!" a cheerful robotic voice chimed as he walked through the door, a platter full of the aforementioned food.

"For the last time, I am not your-ooh! Muffins!" Doof said distractedly, chowing down on the biggest muffin without taking notice of the platy-plan and its owner making a rapid getaway.

_**Isabella: wait—what—huh? What just happened?**_

_**14AmyChan: Well, you know when Ferb said he knew what he was gonna do today?**_

_**Isabella: Yeah...**_

_**14AmyChan: he did it. *^_^***_

_**Isabella: you're making no sense!**_

_**14AmyChan: I'll explain later... for now, please read and review~! *^_^***_


	11. Realizations all around

_**14AmyChan: I know I'm super late and I'm so sorry! TT^TT**_

_**Isabella: just get on with it, then!**_

_**14AmyChan: okay… I don't own PnF!**_

"Ferb!" Isabella gasped from within the cage. Between the bars, she could make out a backyard belonging the aforementioned young teen and his attractive stepbrother. While the new scenery relieved the girl, she had far too many questions to be satisfied with it. And most of these questions could be summed up into one.

"What happened?" Isabella asked, curiosity mounting rapidly. All she could remember is that her head had started to hurt as she began to remember things about one specific day three summers ago. The robot riot, Perry-and even Pinky-and, at the end of the day, how she... oh. Oh no...

"Phineas wasn't here this morning, and he didn't leave a note..." Ferb's explanation began as he pulled out his toolbox to dismantle the cage. He had Isabella's rapt attention at the mention of his brother's being missing. "Worried, I waited in the backyard for him to come back, but Perry showed up first. Usually it's Phineas who shows up first. So I went through some old blueprints of his to find something useful. After looking for five minutes, I found the blueprints for Candace's phone. By myself, it took 67.89 minutes to reconstruct one for myself, and another three to test the safety features." Ferb finished his recount of events as the cage fell apart. Isabella, still holding the dog she'd found earlier in the morning, stretched gratefully, with more than a trace of worry on her face.

"But, Ferb, if you wanted to find Phineas, how come the phone brought you to me instead?" Isabella asked, wondering how an invention of Phineas and Ferb's could possibly make such a huge mistake. In response, the Brit simply shrugged, a worried crease adorning his brow. He did, however notice the dog in Isabella's arms and cocked a questioning eyebrow. Following his gaze, Isabella saw that Firecracker had started to squirm in her arms. To pacify him, she began to stroke his back. His head turned and his energetic blue eyes stared into hers. Her hand stopped mid stroke, those eyes seeming to plead with her to see something she'd missed all day.

"Phineas...?" she hesitantly inquired. As soon as she'd said it, a blush invaded on her face. It wasn't possible... It was just her mind playing tricks on her... It just couldn't be... Yet the more closely she inspected the dog, the more similarities she could draw. Aside from the obvious color of his fur and eyes, the dog had been familiar with both her and-now that she thought about it-Ferb, had been intelligent enough to look for a way out of the cage instead of barking his head off...

_"Finally!"_ Phineas yipped in excitement, a grin spreading across his canine face. It had taken awhile, but she'd finally guessed it was him. With an excited air about him, he made his second attempt to make his way out of Isabella's arms. This time, he was set gently on the ground, facing his brother. Ferb eyed him steadily. To anyone else, it would seem as though the Brit were amused with the dog in front of him. To Phineas, it was a scrutinizing look, one filled with uncertainty and hesitance. For a moment, worry flashed through his mind that his brother wouldn't recognize him.

Ferb was torn between disbelief, humor, curiosity, amusement, a slight sense of urgency, and a feeling that he should not be surprised at this predicament, yet was anyway. He cast a curious look to his neighbor, wondering how she could have had her best friend and lifelong crush in her arms without knowing it. Judging by the hue of the girl's face, she'd told him something she may not have wanted him to know just yet. Speaking of knowledge they were not supposed to have...

"There you are, Perry," Ferb called out, turning his attention to the semi-aquatic mammal, who had conveniently made his appearance in the backyard. He had not yet removed his fedora, and everyone knew why it was there. And why the beloved pet disappeared every day. The teal monotreme cast a weary and frightful look upon his owners and their neighbor, and squeaked in guilt and apprehension.

_"Don't be upset, Perry,"_ Phineas yipped softly, trotting over to his pet and laying a reassuring paw on the mammal's shoulder. With as much of a smile as his dog-like face could express, the teenager was able to comfort the platypus, drawing him into a bro-hug for emphasis. Shocked at his sudden acceptance, yet eternally grateful for it, Perry returned the hug, grateful that his owner was being so understanding this time around, and welcomed him back with open arms-er, paws.

_"Thank you, Phineas..."_ Perry chattered softly. Yet as soon as the words-not intended to be understood-reached the red-fured canine's ears, he jerked back and looked at his pet incredulously, a grin of amazement and wonder never leaving his face.

_"Perry! You have an Australian accent! That's so cool!"_ Phineas began to bark excitedly. The only one close to comprehension was the teal platypus who looked upon his owner in wonder as the hyperactive teenager began to mentally blueprint a translator to understand his pet all the time while simultaneously recounting bits and pieces of how they'd remembered the secret the first time.

_"I can't believe we forgot all of that, how did we forget all of that?"_ Phineas halted as he wondered aloud. His eyes immediately narrowed in a kind focus as he worked to dredge up memories still forgotten. He stayed like that for a few moments before Perry realized he had not been hit directly by the remember-inator. Some of the memories would have to be jogged. The idea of it made the mammal grin, the opportunity to win his bet with Pinky before him.

_"You might want to figure out how to go back to being human first, Phin..."_ Perry suggested, a plan already formulating in his very clever brain. He chanced a glance over at Ferb and Isabella, who had been watching the entire time. They both had looks that contained curiosity, but the teenage girl looked slightly more fretful than her green-haired companion. Perry smiled; this could not have been easier.

Until, of course, Phineas looked the same direction. When his eyes rested on Isabella a few moments longer than necessary, h jerked his head back around to face his trusted pet.

_"Um, Perry?"_ Phineas questioned hesitantly, perking Perry's nonexistent ears. He nodded to show that he was listening. _"Isabella said she loves me... what do I do?"_

_**14AmyChan: okay, you can all commence with the tomato tossing… *holds umbrella in defence***_

_**Phineas: So I'm going to Perry for romantic advice?**_

_**14AmyChan: Well, he **_**is**_** a secret agent…**_

_**Phineas: …touché…**_

_**Ferb: Please read and review.**_


	12. Human Again!

_**14AmyChan: okay, so I really tried to get this one up and running for ya guys really fast.**_

_**Perry: It's certainly faster than your last update…**_

_**14AmyChan: hehe… ^^;**_

_**Phineas: 14AmyChan doesn't own us.**_

_**14AmyChan: enjoy~! *^_^***_

Perry nearly choked on his dry mouth in an attempt to conceal his chuckling. Just because he wore a fedora, snuck away without causing any suspicion, and engaged in battle with an evil scientist everyday did not make him an expert on romance. He did, however, know one extremely basic lesson when it came to women.

"_Just... just be yourself, Phineas. And remember that you're an awful liar,"_ Perry advised playfully, earning himself a quizzical look from Phineas.

_"But, Perry, why would I-"_ Phineas' question was left unasked and unanswered as Perry began to devise a method to return his owner to normal, human form.

_"We could always see if the O.W.C.A. has something we can use, but then we'd have to get your memories wiped again..."_

_"Memories-?"_

_"Or we could go see Doofenschmirtz, but we already wiped his memory and he'd probably do more harm than good..."_

_"You mean that guy that-?"_

_"There has to be some way to get you back to normal!" _ Perry cried, the ideas suddenly screeching to a halt and-for the first time in a long while-felt completely useless. His eyes narrowed in such concentration he literally did not hear Phineas call his name until the third time.

_"...Perry. Perry!"_ Phineas called, effectively calling and poking his pet to attention. As the platypus turned to attention, he was met with a canine finger squishing his cheek in. Amidst the chuckling of Phineas and even Ferb, the platypus managed to silently convince the terrier to continue, which he did. _"I said we could use the remote to turn me back into a human."_

Perry was still for a moment, and then smiled. Leave it to Phineas to have an adventuristic day when there is a much simpler way to get the job done. Not that Perry minded, it seemed to work in his favor and had always kept the boys entertained before.

_"Then let's get back in the house and turn you back to normal,"_ Perry said as he led the way in the house and up the stairs. He waved for Ferb and Isabella to remain where they were, and that they'd be back in a moment. Ferb seemed to understand, so he left the British boy to translate for their confused neighbor. They left the two humans behind to chat it out, or rather, Isabella chat for a while, then Ferb give some really epic advice in that epic British accent of his.

_"What about mom?_

_"What about her?"_

_"She's still allergic to dogs. What if she comes home and starts sneezing?"_

_"Since she's not here, she should be fine. We can always clean the hair up before she comes back home,"_ Perry rationalized as he opened up the door to his owners' room. Before the door was even opened fully, Phineas dashed inside and made a beeline for his nightstand. His thumbless paws grappled with the drawer handle before finally prying it open. Once he had wriggled it free, the drawer slid open easily, and Phineas began the task of actually retrieving the remote from its spot.

He looked around and saw the S.S. Phineas, his bed of twelve years. Careful to not accidentally pop his raft bed with his claws, Phineas sprang for the mattress. Successfully landing, the red Russell Terrier released a sigh of relief, then turned to his goal: the nightstand. Hoping to land on _top_ of the stand, the dog leapt again, only to smack into the target a few inches below the landing space and have the small structure topple over.

Phineas' ears flattened themselves against his head as the bedside table crashed into the floor. The alarm clock unplugged front its socket in the wall rather forcefully, blueprints scattered themselves around the room due to the motion, and pictures clattered to the floor. All except for one that Phineas saved. He had managed to dive out and swipe an important picture from the air before colliding with the ground. For a moment, all he could do was stare at it.

Within the frame, three energetic twelve year olds were smiling out at you. In the middle was none other than Phineas Flynn, smile brighter than his shock-red hair. His arms were wrapped around Ferb, who had a sonic screwdriver in his free hand (yes, it was custom made), and Isabella, who had one arm around his middle and her head on his shoulder. Although she was smiling like there was no other day to smile, her face matched the hue of Phineas' hair. He had no idea, but ever since the picture was taken, it had never failed to make him smile just a bit bigger, or simply make his day just that much better.

But that was because it was a picture of him and his two best friends in the whole wide world, right? He loved them both dearly. Ferb was his brother and Isabella... Well, Isabella...

_"You're going to want some clothes when you return to normal,"_ Perry announced, pulling Phineas from his thoughts. Quickly switching gears, the canine turned to see that the teal mammal had already somehow climbed in the closet and had selected an outfit for the transformation back to humanity. Yet Phineas didn't question, he just went with it. Then something occurred to him.

_"I won't be able to understand you anymore,"_ Phineas realized sadly, picture still in his paws. He glanced at the picture and held it close, then looked back at Perry, conflict tearing at his heart. As much as he wanted to stay and chat with Perry, he wanted just as badly to turn back into a human and talk with Isabella for a few moments, if only to clear away the confusion in his head that hadn't reached his wildly beating heart as of yet.

_"It's only until you can make a translator, Phineas,"_ Perry reminded him gently, setting the clothes on his owner's bed and then making his way to the door. He paused for a moment and turned back with a smile. _"Just go talk to them; they've missed you all day."_

With that, the platypus shut the door to give Phineas some privacy as he hit a button on his remote and shot back up to his normal human state. As he raced into his clothes, one of the many thoughts in his head was he had missed seeing in actual color rather than guessing. He flexed his thumbs to be sure they were actually there, and grinned when he realized they weren't an illusion caused by lack of restful sleep.

The door creaked open and Phineas saw Perry walk back in on his hind legs, just proof that the day had actually happened. Phineas grinned and scooped his pet in his arms and allowed the platypus to ride on his head, something they had not done in a long time.

"You'll have a translator soon, Perry, I promise," Phineas announced as he walked down the stairs. The monotreme simply patted Phineas' head as if to express his belief in that fact. It made Phineas smile to know that his pet still had confidence in him. He opened the back door and grinned at Isabella and Ferb, who seemed to be finishing some kind of important conversation. They finished as soon as he was in earshot.

"Hey guys," Phineas grinned as he reached the unlikely duo. Ferb instantly commenced in the honorary brotherly noogie. Perry had jumped from Phineas' head to Ferb's just in time to not partake. Both brothers laughed at the preposterousness of the entire situation.

"Next time, leave a note. I don't care if you've got no bloody thumbs, all right?" Ferb laughed as he released his brother for an elbow bump. Tapping his brother's elbow with his own, Phineas readily agreed to that and to give and explanation as to how all of the events had happened in the past twenty four hours. As Ferb decided to connect with Perry about his recently rediscovered agent status, Phineas and Isabella were left alone.

For a moment, time stood still. It was almost if they were seeing each other for the first time. Isabella's eyes seemed to be a beautiful combination of the depths of the sea and the heights of the sky. Phineas seemed to stand tall and strong, as if nothing could knock him over. Her hair fluttered slightly in the wind, framing her face. His face bore understanding and compassion, and one more emotion she couldn't quite place.

"Isabella," Phineas said softly as he made his way to her. It seemed to break the trance they'd been in. She began to panic. She began to search for a way to get out, to think, when she felt her hand suddenly enveloped in his. Her eyes instinctively sought his, and find them they did. "I think its time we sat down and talked about this, what do you think?"

After a few seconds, her heart rate returned to normal and the answer became obvious to her. So she gathered her courage with a small nervous smile and nodded her head in agreement. Following his lead, she sat beside him beneath the summer tree.

Yes, it was time to talk it out.

_**14AmyChan: okay, so one or two more chapters and the story will be all wrapped up~! *^_^***_

_**Phineas: at least I'm not a dog anymore and I can talk…**_

_**14AmyChan: *grins evilly***_

_**Phineas: uh oh…**_

_**Ferb: Please read and review.**_


	13. Talking

_**14AmyChan: okay, so this update should be a little satisfactory. *^_^***_

_**Dog!Phineas: *Bark!***_

_**Isabella: *picks up Dog!Phineas* what did you do?!**_

_**14AmyChan: I'll explain after the chapter~! *^_^***_

_**Ferb: Miss Amy does not own my brother nor I nor even the show. Please continue to read on.**_

_**14AmyChan: *squees***_

"So..." Isabella sighed, unsure how to begin this particular conversation. Though she knew that not talking would get them both nowhere fast, she didn't know what to say. She always thought she'd just... _know_ what to do when the time came to confess. Now that it was here, a cat had suddenly grabbed a hold of her usually quick tongue. She glanced from one object to another, still uncertain as to what to do. Moments earlier, Ferb had just said to be honest, but how to do that or even start was a huge obstacle.

"Whatcha thinking?" Phineas asked from beside her. She smiled at his tweaking of her famous line and began to feel a little more comfortable. He was still the only one who was unofficially allowed to do so. The consequence for others (*coughcoughBufordcough*) was still an elbow in the gut.

"I don't really know what to say right now," she replied, staring at the fence across from where they were sitting. Despite the awkwardness she felt, she continued. "I always thought I would, you know?"

"Not really..." he replied truthfully. He had never really applied romance to his life. True, he had thought about it during hat quiz last week, and again when she had accidentally told him how she felt, yet being shocked speechless both times had tipped him off that he probably would not know what to say, either. A thought suddenly occurred to him.

"How long have you...?" Phineas asked, unsure how to end that question. It was not exactly _easy_ to ask your best friend of the other gender how long they've had feelings for you. Fortunately, she caught on fast and answered with a blush on her cheeks.

"It's been... Well..." Isabella tried to recall the memory where she'd first realized her crush on her neighbor, but the entire process had been so gradual she wasn't sure when it began. All she really knew was that she'd harbored this crush for at least four years. "It's been a long time," she said, sure that was the safest route.

"How long is a long time?" Phineas inquired. For all he knew, this could have been going on from a few days to a few _years_. He felt he needed to know what he was working with here. Isabella was his best friend and he loved her dearly, but was it in that way?

"At least three or four years..." she reluctantly answered. She shut her eyes tightly and awaited his reaction. He was far too kind to flat-out reject her. He would probably try to let her down easy. Say that he would rather them be friends. Offer the obvious reasoning that thirteen was still a little too young to be dating.

"Okay..." Phineas said carefully, letting out a breath. Though he had to admit he was still extremely confused and not to mention flat put embarrassed, he was glad she'd told him straight out the second time. That still left the blaring question of how he felt towards her, other than a best friend. He didn't feel anything like they showed in the movies or that he's seen in romantic novels that were required reading at school. No zaps of electricity or illogical giddiness.

No, he felt as he normally felt around her, simply amplified. He still felt she was a trustworthy, honest, kind, and stubborn person. This was still the same person who he had grown up with, but... when he looked at her... when he thought about it really hard... there was something... something that was... intriguing? Almost as if he still had more to figure out about her, even though he was her best friend and could probably write a pretty good biography on her life...

Isabella had also been doing her own amount of thinking. As the boy beside her sorted his thoughts, she took a moment to recollect her own. Yes, she had loved him for the longest time, and yes, she wanted him to return her feelings-however, she had given up on the centuars and rainbows last summer-yet she knew more than anyone that Phineas still had no valid clue about romance. Now that she was rethinking it, she realized that even though she'd told him how she felt, he may not understand enough to return her long-harbored feelings. Though the thought left her feeling sad, she decided to try and accept the truth.

Phineas was roused from his thoughts by the girl beside him standing up. He quickly followed suit, hastily brushing the grass off his backside in the process. His thoughts shifted from the relationship the two could share to the present moment, where something was obviously distressing the girl he cared so much about.

"Something wrong, Izzy?" Phineas asked, barely noticing that he had used a new nickname for the girl he'd been with his entire life. However, the new name did not escape her notice.

"Izzy?" she questioned, tilting her head in a curious manner, unaware that the simple motion sent Phineas' heart into a sudden sprint for its life, and sent the sweat to his palms. He hastily wiped his hands on his shorts and attempted to justify the nickname to Isabella... and himself.

"Um... i-it's a n-nickname!" he stuttered, his face becoming beet red in the process. He could not believe he used the nickname he had given her in his head. He had only come up with it a moment ago, and now he had said it to her. Since she simply stood there, silent, he took that as rejection and made a hasty and none too tactful retreat.

"B-but if you d-don't like it, then..." Phineas, for the first time, struggled for his words. He looked down at his hands, unsure of what the say next. He noted how they seemed to continue sweating. He once again wiped them off on his shorts, unsure of why they continued to have this strange reaction.

Isabella simply watched as her best friend and lifelong crush flopped around a little bit and sighed. If they all remembered what had happened on that day, she thought everything would be fine. She thought he would understand at least a little. After a slight pause, she smiled softly, and thought about her new nickname.

"I do..." she murmured softly, momentarily halting the boy's confused ramblings. After realizing what she had said and how he might perceive it, she quickly clarified, so as to not freak him out. "The nickname, I like it..."

"Really?" Phineas asked, mentally sighing in relief. He had no idea why he had just had his small panic session, or why the longer he spent with Isabella, the more he felt like he was forgetting something, but the thoughts vacated his mind as he watched her smile. It was a smile that grew a little bit after his question.

"Yes, really," she confirmed, content with the moment as it was. They were both in a good mood, they were alone, he knew how she felt and didn't immediately reject her... in fact... she still didn't know how he felt about that... Her smile faltered.

"Phineas?" Isabella asked, a new determination rekindled. She _would_ figure what he was thinking about the situation. She had to. She looked him dead in the eye, searching them for anything other than confusion. There was something... he looked happy. Though it was normal for him to be happy and chipper, something just looked a bit different today. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her... perhaps...

"Isabella?" Phineas returned. Whatever had been bothering her before had made a hasty return, and he felt he knew what it was about. Come to think of it, they had not gotten a lot of talking done. More of they had started, then gotten sidetracked by something or another. But that-talking and laughing and getting sidetracked-had given him his answer. He took a deep breath as he gently reached for her hand and held it in his own. He felt a zing of electricity through his fingers and smiled. Yes, he definitely had his answer.

She did her best not to jump when he held her hand. Startled, she looked at her enclosed fingers, then back to Phineas' flushed face. Could he really mean...?

"We've been friends for as long as I can remember," Phineas started, almost chickening out. However, he saw that Isabella looked just as panicked as he felt and plucked up the courage to continue. "You were there when I made my first invention. I cheered you on during Li'l Sparks and later on in the Fireside girls. You talked sense into me on the island and kept my spirits up every day. I thought it was because we were best friends."

"We are, though!" Isabella said hurriedly, her fears seemingly coming to life before her. Phineas was not only rejecting her, but he didn't even want to be her friend anymore! Before her mind could spiral out of control, a slight pressure on her hand reminded her Phineas still had a hold on it. She attempted not to panic as she looked at him, unaware that the panic was evident on her face.

"Izzy..." he said to regain her attention. Once he had it, he smiled. He may not have a good hold of the whole romantic concept, but he did know that he wanted to keep the girl in front of him safe and happy for as long as he possibly could. He had always felt that way. To him, that was all that truly mattered at this point. That he was the one to keep her safe and happy. And that was when it all clicked for him.

Time stood still for a moment. For both of them. Both of their hearts pounded in their chests, blocking out all other sounds. He gathered his courage as he drew her in close and used his free hand to gently nudge her face upwards to his. She let him take the lead, and melted into the kiss quickly, entwining her fingers with his. It was their own personal slice of heaven on earth.

_**14AmyChan: okay, so here's the deal. There's gonna be an epilogue, then after that, I'm gonna have Dog!Phineas be open to some questions~! But here's the kicker, you ready for it...?**_

_**Dog!Phineas: *Bark!***_

_**14AmyChan: I'm most likely going to draw the answers~! *^_^* how fun is that?**_

_**Isabella: what the heck?! Where are you gonna put these drawn answers? They won't show up on fanfiction!**_

_**14AmyChan: Precisely! I've got an account on Deviantart and I'll post the answers there. *^_^* So tell me what you think of the idea. Should I draw the ideas out, or should I simply add another chapter on the epilogue?**_

_**Ferb: Please review with your answer.**_

_**14AmyChan: *^_^***_


	14. Tying Up Loose Ends

_**14AmyChan: okay, so this is the epilogue…**_

_**Dog!Phineas: *bark***_

_**14AmyChan: this takes place one week after everything else. I don't own anything except the doggie~!**_

**1 week later**

"See you later, Isabella," Phineas bade his girlfriend farewell at the gate, a habit the two had picked up in the past week. As had become a fast tradition, Isabella blushed, placed a hand on Phineas' shoulder, gave him a slight kiss on the cheek, and bid her boyfriend a hasty good night before dashing across the street.

And as usual, Phineas remained stunned for ten whole seconds. Or however long it was for someone to prod him out of his shocked state. In today's case, it was Perry who had the honors. He quickly made his way to his rear paws, readied himself, and then jumped to the top of his owner's head. Landing perfectly, Perry allowed himself a victorious chatter.

"I don't think I'll ever really get used to that…" Phineas said softly as he clicked the gate shut and made his way inside the house. Perry chuckled from his spot in Phineas' hair.

"To be fair, you kissed her first, lover boy," Perry teased from atop the boy's head. The boy's face exploded in a rapid blush, and Perry soon found it safer to jump off his head than to remain where he was. However, the boy simply began to chase the platypus all over the house.

"Just because you're a secret agent doesn't mean I can't catch you!" Phineas laughed as he continued the pursuit. When Perry turned his head back to retort, he was cut off by a British foot, stuck out simply for the sake of "tripping" him up. Perry tumbled forward a couple times before falling in his face. He turned and smiled at his green-haired owner.

"You've gotten a lot better at that, Ferb," Perry congratulated as said lad picked him up and took him into the kitchen, where Phineas was already waiting with preheated meat loaf, left there to eat from their mom. As the two boys divvied out the meal, their conversation continued randomly.

"So how come we haven't been found out yet?" Phineas inquired as he placed a slab of meat loaf on a plate, then reached over for a fork. "I thought the O.W.C.A. had cameras everywhere?"

"They used to, but because of more budget cuts, they can't," Perry explained, wondering vaguely why all the budget cuts seemed to affect them in weird and unorthodox fashions.

"It's almost as if some writer is trying to tie up loose ends before allowing us to continue on our merry way," Ferb said nonchalantly, already partaking in his meal. All was silent for a moment before the three burst into a small round of laughter.

"Yeah, and we had a show for the summer of when we were ten," Phineas joked as he continued to eat. The three continued to converse until it was time for bed. They all went through their nocturnal routines before Perry accompanied the boys to their room.

"So we won't see any more of Dr. D?" Phineas asked, picking up the nickname from three summers back. Perry shook his head.

"No, that was a one-time fluke," Perry explained before hopping off the bed and making his way to a secret tunnel.

"Where are you going?" the red head inquired, still not tired enough to actually go to sleep. As Perry turned around, he noticed Ferb had the same look of inquisitiveness that Phineas had.

"Pinky and I are going to hang out for a while in my lair. Don't worry, I'll be right back," Perry reassured the boys. Before they could ask about visiting his lair one day, Perry slipped into the tube and made his way into his lair, where Pinky was already waiting.

"So what's this surprise?" Pinky asked, referring to their conversation yesterday. Without a word, Perry made his way to the refrigerator and plucked two items out. He tossed one over to the Chihuahua before opening his own. Pinky grinned.

"No way!"

"Yup…"

"How'd you pull it off?"

"Let's just say nothing is impossible…" Perry answered as he took a bite of his pudding.

_**14AmyChan: okay, with the story done, QUESTIONS ARE OPEN~!**_

_**Ferb: simply ask your question in the review while expressing your desire to have the answer written or drawn.**_

_**14AmyChan: You heard the man, go, go, go~!**_

_**Dog!Phineas: *bark!***_


End file.
